In 2017, the Loons’ six draws were tied for the second-fewest in MLS. Only one team with five or six draws made it to the postseason, and that was a Columbus Crew side which won 16 to balance the scale. In a league that boasts the closest thing to parity in the world’s game, every single point matters. Wins will always be the more efficient way to punch a playoff ticket, but if your team can take what’s likely to be a defeat and take any positive from it, you’ll be sitting pretty come October.

This year, Minnesota went 11 games without splitting the points with an opponent. Against an Atlanta United side nursing a one-goal lead while playing shorthanded, Minnesota wasn’t able to switch up its tactics and was left empty-handed on the day. In away games against teams like San Jose and Portland, Minnesota wasn’t quite able to do enough to snag a result from...